Lake Titicaca Holidays

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About Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is famous around the world as being the world's highest navigable lake, at over 3,800m above sea level. There are many other lakes in the world higher than this, including several in Peru, although Lake Titicaca is probably the highest with regular boat services. The lake itself is immense, with an area of over 8,000 square kilometres, and if it were not for the fact that it is almost four kilometres high, it could almost be mistaken for the ocean.

Lake Titicaca Location

Located on the Bolivia-Peru border, Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, and the deepest point of the lake measures 284m. The lake is one of the main tourist destinations in Peru, and most travellers who come to this part of Peru take a trip on the lake and visit the islands. The beautiful dark blue waters, against the brown of the surrounding hills and the white of the Cordillera Real in Bolivia, are very beautiful.

Lake Titicaca History

The Peruvian/Bolivian lake offers more than just wonderful views, and the islands are the home to some of the most ancient traditions in Peru, with many different peoples living in the area. The area around Lake Titicaca is predominantly Aymara speaking, with the exception of the Amantaní and Taquile islands, where Quechua is spoken. However, the area to the west of the lake is Quechua, and the lake is the meeting point of these two cultures. The Uros culture also comes from this area, although it has largely died out, and the Uros Islands are now Aymara speaking.

Lake Titicaca Islands

The Lake has become one of Peru 's main tourist destinations, and taking a boat ride on this incredible body of water offers splendid views of the snow-capped Cordillera Real rising over the deep blue waters. The islands on the lake, as well as being very beautiful, provide a wonderful insight into the traditional life of the inhabitants, with many of these living in a similar fashion to their ancestors hundreds of years ago. The most interesting of the islands include the amazing Uros islands, where people live on floating bundles of reeds, and Taquile and Amantaní, where traditional crafts still dominate the way of life.

Nearby Attractions

There are also many interesting archaeological sites near Lake Titicaca, including Sillustani, where the finely worked funerary towers rise out of the altiplano, and the Temple of Fertility, with dozens of stone phalluses emerging from the ground. The highland towns, where colonial churches mix with ancient traditions, are a fascinating look into a part of Peru few people experience. Follow the link below to find out more about Lake Titicaca's nearby attractions.

Find out more about visiting Lake Titicaca by speaking to one of our experts on 020 7263 3000.

Puno

Puno is the best base in Peru for visiting Lake Titicaca, being the largest city on the lake's shores. It has excellent services, with good hotels and restaurants, and the different attractions in the area are easily accessible.

There is not much to see in the city of Puno itself, although there are a couple of items of interest if you have some free time in the city. The Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral are of minor interest, as is the Balcón del Conde de Lemos, a colonial wooden balcony. Opposite the balcony is the Museo Municipal Carlos Dreyer, which has an interesting collection of ceramics and a few stone monoliths.

The Yavari is an old steam ship that used to work on the lake. It is currently under restoration, and it is hoped that it will start offering services again when it is fully restored. Meanwhile, it is a museum that can be visited. The ship was built in England in 1862 and was transported to Arica, then part of Peru. From Arica, the ship was taken piece by piece by mule to Lake Titicaca, where it was assembled. The ship finally took to the waters of Lake Titicaca in 1871. Due to sailing in fresh rather than salt water, the ship has not suffered rust damage, and so when it is relaunched it will be one of the oldest steam ships in the world still in operation. The ship is berthed next to the Posada del Inca Hotel.

Apart from the lake, Puno is famous for the incredible Virgen de la Candelaria festival held in the city during the first two weeks of February. This is one of the largest, and liveliest, festivals in all of the Andes, with people dancing in the streets, wearing the most wonderful masks. This is the highlight of the year for many Puneños, and if they are named godfather of their district, they will save all year to ensure that they have enough food and drink to offer everybody.

Uros Islands

The most famous islands on Lake Titicaca are the floating islands of the Uros. These artificial islands are made by tying together totora reeds, which grow in the lake, to create the base of the islands, as well huts, furniture and boats. The totora reed is undoubtedly the life stay of the islanders, even serving as food, as the tip of the reed can be eaten. The islands are anchored to the bed of the lake, which is only 4m below the surface, to stop them floating away. The islands have developed somewhat in recent years, and there is now a hospital, a school a hotel and even electricity on some of the islands. There are 45 floating islands in total, most of them relatively close to Puno, of which about 60% are visited by tourists.

The origin of the islands is uncertain, and there are two main theories. The first claims that the Uros people were unhappy with being dominated by the Incas, and did not appreciate their hard work ethic. Therefore, they escaped from the mainland to live on the lake, creating the artificial islands. The other theory claims that the Uros fled to the lake when the Spanish arrived and forced the indigenous population to work in the mines. Either way, the islands were likely to have been formed in the 16 th century, around the time of the Spanish conquest. Why they chose artificial islands rather than real ones is unclear, although it is likely that the larger islands were all inhabited already.

There is a common theory among some travellers that the islands now simply exist for tourism, and that the visiting the islands is no more authentic than visiting Disney World. However, although it is true that tourism has had a large impact on the life of the islanders, the perception that the islands are just a tourist attraction is erroneous. After all, 40% of the islands do not receive any tourists. Many of the islanders still live using traditional customs, and fishing is the most important activity for them, with the daily catches being sold in the market in Puno. When you visit the Uros, you will notice that there are mostly women and children on the islands. This is because the men are busy fishing on the lake.

There used to be a big problem on the islands with children begging for money or sweets, or islanders demanding payment for photographs. However, this has decreased dramatically in recent years, and you are unlikely to be hassled. Nevertheless, the islanders still use tourism for much of their income, and they sell many crafts made from the totora reeds, as well as offer tourist services. The most common of these is a boat ride in traditional totora boats, which costs around $1 per person. These boats, with beautiful puma heads at the bow, were once used by locals for fishing. However, modern rowing boats are now used by the islanders, and the totora boats are solely for tourists.

Taquile Island

Taquile is the most developed of the Peruvian Titicaca islands, and there is a hospital and a school here. The island is only 8 square kilometres, and rises to 4,015m, 200m above the level of the lake. The views from the island are spectacular, with the green vegetation contrasting with the deep blue waters of the lake and the white mountains of the Cordillera Blanca on the horizon. There are several Inca and Tihuanaco ruins on the islands, mostly at the peaks, and it is easy to visit these, although more difficult to get any information about them.

The island has been inhabited since Tihuanaco times, and was also occupied by the Incas. When the Spanish conquered Peru, the Catalan Pedro Gomez de Taquila arrived on the island, giving it his name and several Catalan traditions. For example, the floppy woollen hats worn by the men are of Catalan origin, although these have been adapted to the island. There are three different types of hats denoting married men, single men and men of important rank on the island. The islanders still lead traditional lives, and handcrafts continue to be one of the most important activities on Taquile. It is common to see the men of the island knitting while walking around, usually making the floppy hats they wear. Many of the crafts are for sale in the town, with a co-operative fixing the prices, so you cannot haggle. The quality of the knitted items is high, and so are the prices.

Sillustani

Apart from visiting the islands, the main excursion in the Lake Titicaca area is to the ruins of Sillustani, 30 minutes from Puno. These are chullpas, or funerary towers, and the earliest at the site date from the Colla civilisation around 600AD, although many of the towers are from the Inca period. There are over 60 towers at Sillustani, and the style of the chullpa varies according to the person who was being buried. The tall towers were built in the Inca period and have very fine stonework and were used for the burials of rulers. The smaller towers were used for less important people, and there are also common tombs which are completely subterranean. Sillustani is wonderfully located on the shores of Lake Ayumara, and the chullpas are very beautiful against the skies of the altiplano.

Altiplano from Cusco to Lake Titicaca

The trip from Cusco to Puno is a beautiful journey over the high sierra, with wonderful views of the mountains rising over the altiplano. There are two ways of making this journey, both taking about 10 hours.

The train is very comfortable, with a dining compartment, an elegant bar and a lovely glass-walled observation carriage, allowing you to enjoy the views in style, although apart from a brief stop at La Raya, the journey is non-stop.

The road follows the same route as the railway line, and you get to visit several places of interest. Andahuaylillas, a colonial town, is home to one of the finest churches in the Cusco region, which contains many wonderful frescoes. At Raqchi there are remains of an important Inca building, the Temple of Viracocha. This was an enormous structure, almost 100m long and 15m tall, although only the bases of the columns remain. Sicuani is a relatively large highland town, about halfway between Cusco and Puno. The road from Sicuani to Juliaca initially climbs to the highest point of the journey, La Raya, at 4,300m, before descending to the ruins of Pucara, dating from around 1500BC-1000BC. The town is also famous for making the clay bulls that can be seen adorning many of the roofs between Cusco and Puno. The road is paved and in good condition.